Fineman v. Sony Network Entertainment International LLC et al

Filing
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**E-filed 12/28/11**
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION
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For the Northern District of California
United States District Court
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IN RE SONY PS3 OTHER OS
LITIGATION
No. C 10-1811 RS
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____________________________________/
HENRY GARCIA,
No. C 11-2246 RS
ORDER DENYING MOTION TO
RELATE CASES
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Plaintiff,
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v.
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SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT
AMERICA LLC, et al.,
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Defendants.
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____________________________________/
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Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC and Sony Network Entertainment International
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LLC (collectively “Sony”) are named as defendants in a putative class action initiated in this District
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entitled Fineman v. Sony Network Entertainment International LLC, et al., Case No. 11-cv-05680
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LB (“Fineman”). Sony moves under Local Civil Rule 3-12 to relate Fineman to either or both of
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the cases captioned above, In re Sony PS3 Other OS Litigation, Case No. 10-cv-1811-RS (“Other
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OS”) and Garcia v. Sony Computer Entertainment America, LLC, Case No. 11-cv-02246-RS
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(“Garcia”). While Other OS and Garcia happen to be assigned to the same judge, they have not
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been deemed related to each other within the meaning of Rule 3-12.1
In broad terms, Other OS involves allegations that it was wrongful for Sony to issue a
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software update for the PS3 gaming system that, if installed, disabled the system’s “Other OS”
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feature. Garcia advances a claim that some PS3 consoles are prone to experiencing a hardware
failure when used to play certain games. Fineman involves no issues relating to the functionality of
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For the Northern District of California
United States District Court
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PS3 systems, but challenges a provision recently added to the terms of use agreement governing
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access to the PlayStation Network, which provides for mandatory arbitration and waiver of the right
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to bring class actions.
These three cases have potential overlap in membership of the putative classes and in
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defendants named in the actions, and all have some relationship to the PS3 system. The terms of
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use governing access to the PlayStation Network are implicated in at least Fineman and Other OS,
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albeit in largely different ways. None of these points of similarity, however, warrant deeming any
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of the three cases related under Rule 3-12. The motion is therefore denied.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
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Dated: 12/28/11
RICHARD SEEBORG
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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Sony asserts that the Court sua sponte reassigned Garcia to the undersigned, “good cause
appearing.” To the extent Sony is inferring that the reassignment was based on any relationship
between Garcia and Other OS, it is mistaken. When filed, Garcia was assigned to a magistrate
judge. Upon plaintiff’s filing of a declination to the jurisdiction of the magistrate judge, the case
was randomly reassigned to the undersigned.
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